St Louis vs Edwardsville, IL which has better schools (St. Louis: houses, construction)

[Newcomer 09]

Hello,

I am relocating to work in the STL area and have elementary age kids. I am seeking to live in a good school district and am looking at Rockwood school district as well as Edwardsville Cusd 7 school district. I will be working in Hazelwood and don't mind 30-40 min commute. I would appreciate to hear first hand comments on which school district is better and why? Thanks in advance for your input.
Newcomer09

[aragx6]

Rockwood is one of the top school districts in the region. If you can afford the area (much of it is quite pricey) and you like the far out suburbs it would be a very good choice for you.

On that note however I must warn you that 270 n/s is a BEAR during rush hour and living in Edwardsville would allow you to avoid that.

[Newcomer 09]

Thank you for your comments; I appreciate it very much. Are you familiar with Webster or Kirkwood how would you rate these areas in terms of family oriented, communte during rush hour to Hazelwood? Thanks again for your help!

[aragx6]

I love Webster Groves and Kirkwood -- both have great schools and the older inner-ring feel is much more to my personal liking. It's a really fabulous place to be a kid. It's safe and walkable, and while the houses are smaller and older than what you'll find farther out they also have more character and are built like a rock. A lot of people in St. Louis use WG/KWood as a city alternative when schools become a big concern.

As far as commute: I think you're better off staying as far east as possible so that you can use the inner belt (I-170) to commute to Hazelwood as opposed to 270. So I would consider looking at Rock Hill (goes to Webster schools) and Brentwood (has their own great schools).

Hope that helps some -- feel free to ask anything else you can think of!

[wustu87]

I will yet again follow aragx6's post and say.. yeah, what she said! Webster and Kirkwood are great places to live as are Rock Hill and Brentwood, although you have to get used to a bit more traffic congestion and more crowded living.

Getting to Hazelwood from Webster, for example, would be a bit slow going since you would have to slowly snail your way north up Brentwood (or Hanley once it is open again) to somehow get to 170. Once you get on 170 it would not be too bad. So from Kirkwood you could take 270 and from Rock Hill/Brentwood you would either be not too far south of the 170 entrance that you could hop on it quickly, or you can take McKnight to Ladue to 170 north. Hopefully once all the highway construction is done at at year's end the Brentwood/Richmond Heights area will not be such a traffic mess.

[Fishtacos]

Depending on where in Webster, Kirkwood, etc...you are...you can take 44 West to 270 N to get to Hazelwood. 270 gets crowded at rush hour, all things being relative.

[Newcomer 09]

Thank you all for your comments! It is incredibly helpful. I will be in STL starting next week and will be looking around Webster, Kirkwood and St. Charles areas. Sounds like I need to live closer to 170 instead of 270.

[CellarBelle]

Hi Newcomer. I have a friend who lives in Edwardsville and works in the Hazelwood school district. Takes her about 30 minutes to get to work, depending on traffic, of course. I can't say enough great things about Edwardsville, the community, the schools and the people. I do love the other communities you mentioned. Our son plays hockey all over the St. Louis area, and each of the communities you mentioned are great areas. If you want to learn more about Edwardsville, you can check out my earlier posts. I hope that helps, and I hope you find a great place to live! Good luck!

Originally Posted by Newcomer 09

Thank you all for your comments! It is incredibly helpful. I will be in STL starting next week and will be looking around Webster, Kirkwood and St. Charles areas. Sounds like I need to live closer to 170 instead of 270.